The number of devices which are connectable to wireless communication networks continues to increase steadily. Apart from mobile phones, computers, tablet computers, and other electronic consumer gadgets, it is expected that all kinds of devices which may benefit from being connected to a communication network will be connected in the future. With this, the issue of connecting and controlling such devices becomes increasingly important.
For instance, a user may use his or her mobile phone to stream media to a loudspeaker or a television, to make voice calls using a headset, or to send documents to a printer. The communication between the mobile phone and the connected devices is typically effected through a wireless link, using Bluetooth, WiFi, ZigBee, a cellular radio technology, or any other wireless technology.
Before communication between the mobile phone and a connectable device may commence, a configuration of the devices taking part in the communication is usually required. To this end, a user may be required to indicate that a specific device may communicate with the user's mobile phone. This process is referred to as pairing. Typically, when a user wants to connect the mobile phone with another device, the mobile phone broadcasts a query for discovering wireless devices within range. Any device which is in discoverable mode will respond to the query. In the case of Bluetooth, e.g., a discoverable device will transmit its device name, device class, and a list of services supported by the device. The user of the mobile phone is then presented with a list of devices which responded to the query, allowing the user to select one or more devices for pairing. Subsequently, communication with the selected devices may commence. Under certain circumstances, pairing of a device with the mobile phone may require an additional authentication step, during which the user may be prompted to enter a code. The association between the mobile phone and a paired device is usually stored for future communication sessions
Even though the list of discovered devices which is presented to the user may be filtered such that only a certain class of devices is presented, e.g., headsets, the list may still be rather extensive if many devices are within range. In particular, this may be the case if pairing is attempted in a crowded environment, such as a public place or a conference room. Moreover, the predominance of certain makes and models of consumer electronics makes the process of pairing even more difficult, as the user may be presented with a list of several similar devices. Since such devices frequently have their name set by the vendor, and devices of the same model are likely to have the same default device name, the user will be presented with a list of similar devices sharing the same name, which makes it difficult to identify and select the correct device.